GDHQNHL15_2pg-Colorado Avalanche 2

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quality defenseman” shortly
after signing the 34-year-old. If
Stuart can regain the form that
he had with the Red Wings, this
could provide a huge boost along
the blue line.
There were a couple of
breakout players that surfaced
last season. These surprises
took the forms of Tyson Barrie
and Nick Holden.
Barrie put up impressive
offensive numbers for a
defenseman in 2013-14 by scoring
13 goals and helping out on 25 others. His goal-scoring prowess was
aided by a nearly 13 percent (12.9) successful shooting rate. While he
may not replicate that number this season, he is expected to still aid in
creating offense.
Nick Holden made a name for himself in Colorado and earned a
three-year deal for his efforts. In 54 games, the 27-year-old scored 10
goals and had a hand in 15 others. The late-bloomer could find himself on
either the second or third pairing.
While the players are promising, the team will need to allow fewer
pucks to the net as they allowed 32.7 points per game, second most in the
Western Conference.
Goaltending
With a former Vezina-winning goaltender as the coach, the
Avalanche developed a Vezina finalist in Semyon Varlamov. After
years of promise, the former Washington Capital put it all together in
his first season under Patrick Roy and goalie coach Francois Allaire. He
had a career year as he won 41 games, had a goals-against average of
2.41 supported by an outstanding .927 save percentage. Varlamov will
come in to the season as the undisputed starter. If he could somehow
replicate those numbers, he will again be involved in the Vezina Trophy
conversation, talked about for the Hart Trophy for the league’s MVP and
bring the Avalanche back to the playoffs for the second year in a row.
Varlamov will be backed up by Reto Berra. Berra was acquired from
the Flames at the trade-deadline last season. He will need to improve this
season if he wants to stick with the big club.
Power Play
The Colorado Avalanche’s power-play unit was as dangerous as any
team in the league last season and will almost certainly be as good this
year. With a conversion rate of 19.8 percent, the Avalanche placed tied
for fifth in the league last season. The unit was paced by an offensively
gifted group of forwards.
Ryan O’Reilly was the big point-producer last season on the manadvantage.
He registered 22 power-play points (9 goals, 13 assists) over
the course of the year, well enough for 25th in the NHL. While O’Reilly
led the team in this area, he’s not the only one that produces as star
center Matt Duchene (17 points) and gifted phenom Nathan MacKinnon
(17 points) displayed their offensive talents as well.
Penalty Kill
If there is one area that the Avalanche can improve upon, it would
definitely have to be the success of their penalty killing unit. The team
ranked near the bottom of the league (24th) in the penalty kill with a
success rate of 80.7 percent. Not only that, but they finished last season
with the second-fewest shorthanded goals scored in the NHL.
The team will rely heavily on their goaltender Varlamov to make up
for the holes in the team’s penalty kill. The addition of Brad Stuart should
help the defense gain possession more while shorthanded. Improvements
in this area will go a long way towards success in the playoffs.
Prediction
After a surprising season with the team coming away as the Central
Division champions, the Avalanche are now the team everyone is
gunning for. A return to the playoffs is a strong possibility, but the
team will have to show they learned from their playoff experience
last season in order to advance further.
Scoreboard
2013-14 2012-13 2011-12 2010-11 2009-10
PLAYOFF FINISH Conf QF DNQ DNQ DNQ Conf QF
REGULAR SEASON RECORD 52-22-8 16-25-7 41-35-6 30-44-8 43-30-9
POINT TOTAL 112 39 88 68 95
SHOOTOUT RECORD 5-4 2-2 9-2 6-1 7-5
GOALS SCORED 250 116 177 227 244
GOALS ALLOWED 220 152 226 288 233
POWER PLAY % 19.8 15.0 18.4 18.5 18.1
PENALTY KILL % 80.7 80.3 83.0 76.1 80.2
Penalty Kill % 80.7 80.3 83.0 76.1 80.2
Matt Duchene, Brad Malone
Karl Gehring/Denver Post/Getty Images